Peelable handheld food container

ABSTRACT

A food container providing improved access to food items in packaged food products more conveniently and with less messiness while they are being eaten. The food products may be heated in the food container and the food container may be handheld in a comfortable manner or stored in a stable manner in a beverage receptacle installation in a vehicle or adjacent to spectator seats or furniture, wherein the food container includes at least one peelable portion having a free end bordering the upper end of the container which can be peeled away from the container to reveal more of the food contents of the container.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to food containers and packagedfood products incorporating them.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Consumers increasingly demand more convenient and readily accessiblesingle serving food items and, preferably, desire these single servingfood items to be contained within functional packaging. In particular,consumer demand has risen for packaged single serving food items whichcan be hand held and consumed without the need for serving plates/bowlsand eating utensils. Packaged food products of this variety haveincluded, for example, pizza wraps and rolls, egg rolls, wrapsandwiches, burritos, pastry wraps, and the like. Such food productsoften are formed to have a generally elongated shape so that they can bemore easily grasped. These types of packaged food products can bepurchased and then stored by consumers in refrigerators or freezers athome or elsewhere until it is desirable to reheat them for consumption.

Microwave ovens are often used to rapidly and conveniently reheat thepackaged food items, although other types of heat sources also may beused depending on the particular food item and type of packaging. Tofurther increase consumer convenience, it is often desirable to be ableto heat the food item in its original package to reduce the need forseparate cooking vessels.

Also, it is desirable to provide a food item in a package that can,after heating, be used to permit transport and handling of the food itemwithout requiring the consumer to directly handle the hot food item, andwhich can be easily opened to provide access to the food item during itsconsumption. Conventionally containers used for elongated food itemshave included elongated cartons hinged to open and shut along alengthwise direction. Such a configuration often requires the use ofboth hands or placement of the carton on a support surface in order togain access to food item for consumption.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to a food container that can store,heat, and hold foods items and provide improved access to packaged foodproducts with less messiness while they are being eaten. The food holdercan enable foods to be consumed on-the-go with one hand in a convenientand tidy manner. The food container may be hand held in a comfortablemanner or stored in a stable manner in a beverage receptacleinstallation in a vehicle or adjacent to spectator seats or furniture,and so forth.

In one embodiment, a food container is provided comprising an enclosuredefining a cavity capable of being occupied by at least one food item.The enclosure comprises first and second sections. The first section(e.g., a lower section of the enclosure) has a first walled portiondefining a first cavity region wherein the walled portion has a shapeand size which is fittable into a cylindrical beverage receptacle, andhaving a closed bottom end sufficient to retain a food item within thefirst section. The second section (e.g., an upper section of theenclosure) has second walled portion defining a second cavity region,and an open top end defined by a free upper edge of the enclosurewherein the open top end is adapted for introducing a food item into theenclosure. The second section also has at least one peelable portionhaving a free end coinciding with part of the upper edge wherein thepeelable portion is adapted to be manually and selectively detached fromthe enclosure effective to reveal more of the food item in theenclosure.

The peelable portion(s) of the enclosure or container structure can bereadily peeled away from the enclosure by hand when the consumer desiresto reveal more of and increase access to the food item(s) in thecontainer without destroying the container structure.

In one embodiment, the manually peelable portion(s) of the enclosure orcontainer structure are defined by lines of weakness (e.g., scored orperforated lines) which are formed in paperboard used to construct thecontainer structure. Peeling action can be manually induced andpropagated along the lines of weakness as the peelable portion is peeledfrom the remainder of the container structure. In one embodiment, themanually peelable portion has a profile that is relatively widest nearthe opening and tapers or narrows in the longitudinal directionextending away from the opening. These shapes may be, for example, aninverted parabolic, catenary or triangular shape and the like. Inanother embodiment, a peelable portion is defined by a pair of lines ofweakness which extend generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of thecontainer from an edge bordering the upper end of the container. Thesegeometries of peelable portions make it easier for a consumer to obtaina grip on the peelable portion near an exposed upper end thereof, wheninitiating manual removal of the peelable portion.

In one particular embodiment, a pair of manually peelable portions areprovided at generally opposite lateral sides of the second section ofthe container structure, allowing for even greater increased exposureand access to the food item contained in the food container.

The food container is a food holder that enables foods to be consumedon-the-go with one hand conveniently and cleanly. The food container isappropriately configured and sized to be graspable by a single hand of aconsumer.

As indicated, the first section of the food container is adapted to havea shape allowing it to be fitted into and securely supported by areceptacle or holder ordinarily used for receiving and holding acylindrical beverage container, e.g., holders for beverage cups,bottles, cans and so forth. The first section may be provided with agenerally cylindrical shape or a multi-sided polygonal shape conducivefor stable placement and retention in such beverage holders. In oneembodiment, the food container can be held in a generally uprightposition with such a holder. The holder can be, for example, a holderinstalled in a vehicle, such as an automobile, truck, boat, airplane,etc. It also could be beverage container holder attached or associatedwith an audience member or spectator seat of a theater, arena,auditorium, etc. It also could be a cup holder integrally provided withlawn furniture, tables or leisure chairs.

The food container may have holes extending through the sides to helprelease moisture generated within the container. When used as a heatingapparatus, the food holder can also have holes and inner susceptingmaterial that enable air circulation and heat transfer for moreeffective heating. The suscepting material may be provided on one ormore inner sides of the food holder to provide better food heatingquality. A sleeve made of corrugated cardboard or other materials may beadded to the outside of the food container to enable the heatedcontainer to be held directly by hand without discomfort.

The food holder can also be folded, packed with the food product, sothat food can be stored, heated, and consumed without being in directcontact with hands. After the food has been consumed, the food holdercan be easily crumbled and discarded for easy clean up and/or recycling.

The food products that can be packaged and consumed on-the-go in astable and convenient manner using the food container of the inventionare not particularly limited, and include, for example, processed foodssuch as burritos, pizza rolls, egg rolls, wrap sandwiches, sandwichrolls, wrapped fruit pie pastries, baked goods, rolled sandwiches,chicken pieces, and so forth. For instance, the food can be in arolled-up form, such as a dough enrobed roll-up with fillings, such ascheese, meats, vegetables, and tomato sauce, or any combination thereof.The rolled up dough-containing food product can be efficiently heatedinside the food holder, generating crispiness at the food surface.

The food items may be shelf-stable, refrigerated or frozen.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description of preferred embodiments of theinvention with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a food container having a peelable region inaccordance with an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the food container of FIG. 1, takenalong line 2-2.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a paperboard blank used to construct the foodcontainer of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a first-stage intermediate construction of afood container made with the blank of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a second-stage intermediate construction of afood container made with the blank of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a completed construction of a food containermade with the intermediate blank construction of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an alternative third-stage intermediateconstruction of a food container made with the blank of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a top view of a completed construction of a food containermade with an intermediate blank construction of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of packaged food product including the foodcontainer of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 10 is top view of the packaged food product of FIG. 9 in itsoriginal configuration before the peelable portions are peeled down inaccordance with an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 11 is top view of an alternative packaged food product in itsoriginal configuration before the peelable portions are peeled down inaccordance with another embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 12 is top view of the packaged food product of FIG. 11 after thepeelable portions have been peeled down in accordance with an embodimentof this invention.

FIG. 13 is perspective view of the packaged food product of FIG. 9 heldin a vehicle beverage receptacle in accordance with an embodiment ofthis invention.

FIG. 14 is side elevational view of the packaged food product of FIG. 9with the peelable region in a peeled down configuration in accordancewith an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 15 is another side elevational view of the packaged food product ofFIG. 9 with the peelable region in a peeled down configuration inaccordance with an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a rhomboidal-shaped food containerconstructed of cardboard which has a peelable region in accordance withanother embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a food container having a rectangularcross-section, which has a peelable region in accordance with anotherembodiment of this invention.

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a food container blank used for forming acontainer having peelable portions in accordance with another embodimentof this invention.

The features depicted in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.Similarly numbered elements in different figures represent similarcomponents unless indicated otherwise.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described belowwith specific reference to a food container convenient for handling,storage in beverage receptacles, and consumption of food products withimproved access thereto.

Referring to FIG. 1, a food container 100 is shown in its open andbillowed condition as a non-cylindrical, multisided enclosure 101. Inthis non-limiting illustration, the food container has a “pillow” typeconfiguration, although other configurations also may be provided aswill become more apparent from the descriptions below. The enclosure 101is a walled container structure defining a cavity 104 (e.g., see FIG.10) capable of being occupied by at least one food item. The enclosure101 comprises a first or lower section 103 and a second or upper section105. Lines of weakness 107 and 109 are used in conjunction with otherassociated lines of weakness such as illustrated in subsequent FIGS. 6,8, and 9, define peelable portions 111 and 113. The lines of weaknessindicated herein to define the peelable portions in the container wallsmay be formed by forming scored lines or intermittently perforated orpunched lines in paperboard used to construct the container structure.One or more air circulation holes 106 optionally may be included, whichmay be convenient if a food item has been pre-cooked, e.g., microwaveheated, inside the same container.

Referring to FIG. 2, the lower section 103 of the enclosure 101 formingthe food container 100 has a first walled portion 201 defining a firstcavity region 203. The walled portion 201 has a shape and size which isfittable into a cylindrical beverage receptacle (e.g., see FIG. 13below). The lower section 103 also has a closed bottom end 205 adequateto retain a food item within the first section 103. The upper section105 of the enclosure 101 forming the food container 100 has a secondwalled portion 210 defining a second cavity region 212. It also has anopen top end 212 defined by a free upper edge 214 of the enclosure 101.

The peelable portions 111 and 113 of the container 100 can be displacedin directions indicated by the arrows including a lateral directioncomponent relative to imaginary dividing line x-x and a downwarddirection component relative to the longitudinal axis y-y of thecontainer 100.

It will appreciated that the location of the horizontal dividing linex-x between the lower section 103 and the upper section 105 shown inFIG. 2 is arbitrary, merely for sake of facilitating the illustration,and is non-limiting to the extent that the upper and lower sectionsotherwise meet criteria set forth herein for those features.

Referring to FIG. 3, a blank 310 is illustrated which can be assembledinto food container 100 of FIG. 1, in the following general manner. Thisview shows the side of the blank which ultimately will form the insidewall of the finished container. The internal solid lines 311 through 319represent fold lines, and the hatched lines 107 through 110 representlines of weakness. The blank includes flap portions 325 and 327. In theupper portion 335 of blank 310 located above medial fold line 316,respective quadrants 311 through 313 are provided between pairings offold lines in the blank 310. In the lower portion 336 of the blank 310located below medial fold line 316, quadrants 331 through 333 areprovided between pairings of fold lines in the blank 310.

The blank 310 may be constructed of a relatively thin, foldable, yetstiff and shape retentive material. The opposite side of the blank 310is essentially identical as the illustrated side insofar as the overallprofile and locations of the fold lines and lines of weakness. However,as explained in more detail below, the blank 310 optionally may be amultilayer construction in which the inner and outer sides may comprisedifferent types of sheet materials. The blank may comprise, for example,a single-layered paperboard or cardboard construction. The cardboard maybe single-faced or double-faced corrugated paperboard. The blank 310also may have a composite construction comprising an outer paperboardlayer and an inner microwave susceptor layer (e.g., a thin metal layer).The blank 310 may be constructed of a recyclable material. Vent holes106 and 320, such as for release of water vapor generated by foodscontained in the food container, are provided in the blank 310 in thisillustration.

Referring to FIG. 4, to assemble food container 100 from the blank 310,flaps 325 and 327 are folded (doubled over) along fold lines 311 and314, respectively, onto quadrants 328 and 329, as a first-stage of theassembly of the food container. Adhesive material 340 may be applied toexposed flap surfaces 338 and 339 and/or quadrants 331 and 332, which isnot dried or cured until after completion of the subsequent assemblystep shown in FIG. 5. The adhesive 340 may be applied at discretelocations, or in lines, or continuously on the exposed surfaces, and soforth.

Referring to FIG. 5, in a second stage of the assembly of food container100, the lower portion 336 of blank 310 is folded upward about medialfold line 316 such that it is doubled over upper portion 335 thereof.The adhesive 340 applied previously, such as shown in FIG. 4, can beused to attach quadrant 331 to the exposed surface 338 of flap 325, andattach quadrant 332 to the exposed surface 339 of flap 327. The otherfacing areas of upper portion 335 and lower portion 336 are not directlyattached to each other. In this illustration, the lower end 337 of thelower portion of the blank 310 is positioned slightly below the upperend 341 of the upper blank portion 335, although this is not required.

Referring to FIG. 6, the intermediate construction of blank 310 of FIG.5 has been billowed or expanded into a food-holding configuration. Theblank 310 folds at fold lines 311 through 314 and 318 through 319 toprovide the billowed configuration. The supplemental fold lines 315 and317 illustrated in FIGS. 3-4 help the blank to billow out near the lowerend of the container.

Referring to FIG. 7, the intermediate configuration as shown in FIG. 5is subjected to a third-stage of assembly in which a sleeve 350 iswrapped around and attached circumferentially around the outer surfaceof the folded blank 310. The attachment of the sleeve 350 can beaccomplished, for example, by adhesive bonding. For example, the sleeve350 can be supplied as a strip of discrete length, which is encircledaround and adhesively attached at its inner side to the exterior of apre-folded blank in the configuration such as shown in FIG. 5, andoverlapping free ends of the strip can be adhesively bonded to form asleeve. The sleeve 350 may include graphics or labeling.

Referring to FIG. 8, the sleeve 350 is attached around the circumferenceof the billowed blank 310 which helps to maintain the folded andbillowed configuration. The sleeve 350 may a corrugated paperboardconstruction, i.e., cardboard, or other flexible thermal-insulatingmaterial. The provision of a sleeve 350 of cardboard construction makesit more comfortable for a consumer to grasp the food container by handwhen it contains heated foods. The provision of sleeve 350 as made ofthermal-insulating material, such as cardboard, also may help to reducethe need or desirability of constructing the entire blank 310 out ofthermal-insulating sheet material.

Referring to FIG. 9, a packaged food product 300 is shown having an opentop end 212 defining an opening 301 which is suitable for introducing afood item 303 into the enclosure 101 of the food container 100, aspreviously described. The peelable portion 113 of the upper section 105has a free end 305 coinciding with part of the circumferential extent ofthe free upper edge 214 of the enclosure 101. Peelable portion 111(hidden in this view) located on the opposite lateral side of theenclosure 101 preferably has a similar arrangement. The peelableportions 113 and 111 are adapted to be manually and selectively detachedfrom the enclosure effective to reveal more of the food item in theenclosure. The general peel direction of peelable portion 113 isindicated by the arrow in FIG. 9.

Referring to FIG. 10, the packaged food container 300 is shown in itsoriginal configuration in which the container enclosure 101 is in itsbillowed or expanded position and contains a food item 303, and prior toany displacement of the peelable portions. The food item 303 is showncontained in the cavity region 212 defined by the walled portion 210 ofthe upper section 105 of enclosure 101. The food item 303 may be, forexample, a food product having a generally elongated shape.

FIG. 11 shows an alternative packaged food product 330 in which thecontainer construction is similar to that in FIG. 11, while a pluralityof smaller pieces of food items 360-366 are stacked within the enclosure101.

Referring to FIG. 12, the packaged food product 300 is illustrated withthe container enclosure 101 arranged in a so-called “peel down”configuration in accordance with embodiments herein. In thisillustration, as well as in FIGS. 13-15, the peelable portions 111 and113 have been manipulated out there original orientation into respectiveflap portions 1110 and 1130 which have been detached and bent away fromthe remainder of the enclosure 101. A second line of weakness 108 isused in combination with previously mentioned line of weakness 107 todefine the peelable portion 111 and its corresponding flap portion 1110shown in this view. Similarly, a second line of weakness 110 is used incombination with previously mentioned line of weakness 109 to define thepeelable portion 113 and its corresponding flap portion 1110 shown inthis view.

Referring to FIG. 13, the packaged food product 300 of FIG. 9 isillustrated as held in an upright stable manner in a vehicle beveragereceptacle 701. Peelable portion 113, hidden in this view, has a similararrangement of lines of weakness in this embodiment. As indicated, theabove-mentioned first walled portion 201 of the lower section 103 of thecontainer enclosure 101 has a shape and size which is fittable into acylindrical beverage receptacle 401. The closed bottom end 205 of thelower section 103 keeps food items from dropping, or drippings, thereoffrom falling out of the container enclosure 101. Beverage holders arecommonly installed in vehicles and adjacent audience seats in variousvenues to hold a consumer's beverage cup, can, glass, bottle, etc. Thefood container of an embodiment herein may be provided with a closed endportion having a configuration adapted to be securely held in suchbeverage holders already installed on board a vehicle or with anaudience or spectator seat, and so forth.

In FIGS. 14 and 15, a “peel-down” feature of the food container 100 ofembodiments of the present invention is further illustrated. As shown, aflap portion 1110 has been formed from the previously indicated peelableportion 111 of the enclosure 101 by manually peeling and tearing thepeelable portion along the lines of weakness 107 and 108 apart from theadjoining, non-torn portions 803 and 805 of the upper section 105 of theenclosure 101 (i.e., they remain in their original upright orientation).The peelable portion 111 can be grasped near its free upper end 375 tofacilitate this procedure.

The peeling action can be manually induced and propagated along thelines of weakness as the peelable portion is peeled from the remainderof the container structure. In one embodiment, the manually peelableportion has a profile that is relatively widest near the opening andtapers or narrows in the longitudinal direction extending away from theopening. These shapes may be, for example, an inverted parabolic,catenary or triangular shape and the like. These geometries of peelableportion make it easier for a consumer to obtain a grip on the removableregion, viz., near the upper end thereof, when initiating manual removalof the peelable portion, and then the removal of the remainder of thepeelable portion is facilitated once peeling is initiated as thedownward peeling force applied by the consumer acts on a progressivelysmaller width of peelable material.

In this illustration, a pair of manually peelable portions are providedat generally opposite lateral sides of the second section of thecontainer structure, allowing for even greater increased exposure andaccess to the food item contained in the food container.

The shape of the container is not particularly limited as long as itprovides at least one panel area at the upper end of the containerincluding a free edge thereof in which a peelable portion can be definedvia lines of weakness formed in the container blank, and also thecontainer should have an expanded or billowed shape that accommodatesthe food products which are intended to be packaged therein. Thecontainer thus can have many shapes, such as cylindrical (e.g., circularor elliptical cylindrical), prismoidal, rhomboidal, and so forth. Thecontainer also can have a number of different cross-sectionalgeometries, such as square, rectangular, triangular, hexagonal,circular, oval, and so forth. The container structure, apart from thepeel-down feature, may be a conventional paperboard packageconfiguration providing a closed bottom and an open top end. However, asindicated, to provide a peelable portion therein according toembodiments of the present invention, a panel area must be provided foreach peelable portion at the upper end of the container including a freeedge thereof in which a peelable portion can be defined via lines ofweakness formed

For example, FIG. 16 shows a “pillow”-shaped food container 120 (i.e.,it has a rhomboidal shape), which is constructed of cardboard, and whichhas the above-indicated peelable portion 113. FIG. 17 shows foodcontainer 130 defining a pouch having a rectangular cross-section, whichhas above-indicated peelable portion 113. A peelable portion also can beprovided on the opposite hidden side in these views as previouslydescribed.

Referring to FIG. 18, in an alternative embodiment, at least one pair oflines of weakness 1201 and 1202 (and/or 1203 and 1204, etc.) can beformed as generally vertical lines extending generally parallel with thelongitudinal axis y-y of a food container blank 1200. The upper section1205 of the container blank 1200 has an upper free edge 1214. The linesof weakness have respective free ends 1215 and 1216 which coincide withpart of the upper edge 1214 of the blank 1200. Fold lines 1210-1213 arealso shown, which are used in assembling a container having a shapewhich may be similar to the container shown in FIG. 17. The portions1217 and 1218 of the container blank 1200 can be peeled-down from acontainer made with the blank in the direction indicated by the arrow,in a manner generally described above, to provide flap portions that arepulled away from the container to reveal more of the food contents ofthe container. This embodiment differs in that the peeled down portionsare not fully detachable from the container, since the peelable portionsare defined by generally parallel, non-intersecting lines of weakness.

In one embodiment, the food container may be a tube or cup shape, with adimension such as about 1.5 to about 4.0 inches in diameter and about 5to about 12 inches in height. The food container, for instance, may be apouch shape, with a dimension such as 1.5 to 2 inches wide, about 1.5 to2 inches deep, and about 6 to 9 inches in height. The food containeralso may be made from a paperboard blank comprising about a 16 to 17inch long and about 4-6 inch wide sheet for an “envelope” type offolding, or about a 9 inch×10 inch sheet for a “pouch” type of folding.This dimensions are illustrative only and non-limiting.

The above-indicated “peel-down” package feature is especiallyadvantageous in the instance of the packaging of elongated food items orvertically stacked pieces of food items which are to be consumed fromthe container. The elongated food product or stacked pieces can berestrained in a stable position within the container while bites aretaken from the exposed end of the food product. The “peel-down” featurealso does not undermine or destroy the overall structural integrity ofthe enclosure.

The “peel-down” package feature also makes it possible to help keepheated food items warm until consumed as exposure of the hot fooditem(s) to the environment outside the container can be restricted asthe open end of the package can be changed to accommodate theprogressively smaller length of a food item as it is eaten from the openend of the container. Thus, the food container having the peel-downfeature is a food holder that enables foods to be consumed on-the-gowith one hand conveniently and cleanly. This invention can be astand-alone product or combined with food. The food holder can behandheld or placed into a beverage receptacle in a vehicle, or adjacentan audience or spectator seat (e.g., arena, auditorium, stadium, ortheater seating), or attached to lawn furniture, etc.

The food holder is made with flexible yet self-supporting materials,such as paperboard, including non-corrugated paperboard or cardboard(i.e., corrugated paperboard). The paperboard may be a typeconventionally used for food packaging. The paperboard is scoredallowing the paper to be easily peeled off of the food that is in thefood holder, which will expose the food for easy consumption with onehand. The food holder's peel-off feature can enable easy reach of thefood without additional device, therefore, eat with one hand. Since thefood is not directly in contact with hands, the food holder provides atidy way of consuming foods. The upper section can be vary in sizeand/or shape to accommodate different types of foods. For example, itcan be rectangular shaped for sandwiches, bagels, and donuts, etc.; orcylinder shaped for cylinder shaped foods such as pizza rollup, hotdogs,etc. The upper part can also be designed in such a way that its shape ischangeable according to the shape of the foods. The food holder can alsobe folded, packed with the food product, so that food can be stored,heated, and consumed without being in direct contact with hands. Thefood container may be scored in such a way that it can lay flat to bepacked with food, and then be easily folded into the expanded orbillowed container structure. After the food has been consumed, the foodholder can be easily crumbled and discarded for easy clean up.

The food holder can be made of microwavable materials, such ascardboard, that will enable one to use the food holder as a container toheat the food in microwave. As indicated, the inside surface of the foodholder can be comprised of a microwave suscepting material, such as athin metallic layer attached to a paperboard backing sheet material, tohelp radiant energy to the food to help produce crisp and brown food. Asindicated, the food holder also may have a thermal-insulating sleeveprovided around the outer circumference of the food container or holder,such as a corrugated cardboard sleeve construction, to improve holdingcomfort when the food container contains a heated food and the containeris held by directly by hand. The food holder can then be used to holdthe food. The scored side(s) of the holder can be peeled off, and theconsumer can eat the food inside on-the-go with one hand. When used as aheating apparatus, the food holder can also have holes and innersuscepting material, which enable air circulation and heat transfer formore effective heating.

The food product may be a freshly prepared food product, or arefrigerated or frozen product which may be reheated within the foodcontainer enclosure. The packaged food products of the present inventionare particularly suitable for display, for hot or cold service, atwalk-up or drive-through restaurants, cafeterias, food counter booths,snack counters and the like. For hot service, a hot food product can beplaced within the pouch and sealed.

Alternatively, if the food product is a processed food that has beenpackaged within the pouch and stored in a refrigerated or frozencondition, the complete food container may be placed within a heater toreheat the food product so that the food portion is reheated within itswrapping. The packaged food product can be heated in any convenientmanner which is tolerated by the packaging material, such as by using aradiant heater and/or microwave heater. The food container may havesuscepting material provided on the inside surface thereof to increasefood crispiness during microwave heating. As indicated, the foodcontainers also may include holes to increase air circulation duringmicrowave heating. The external side of the food container may havegraphics that are printed with heat stable ink.

The food products that can be stored in the food container are notparticularly limited. They include, for example, roll-up or wrap formfood products, which is a dough enrobed roll-up with fillings such ascheese and/or tomato sauce and/or meats and/or vegetables. The roll-uptype product may comprise a dough wrapping material selected from apizza crust, pita, flat bread, French bread, and so forth, and a fillingmaterial selected from one or more of a tomato sauce, cheese, meatand/or vegetables. The roll-up can be, for example, about 5 to 7 incheslong and about 2 to about 2.5 inches in diameter that fits into thecup-holder like food holder and enable maximum heat efficiency. The foodcan also be other types, such as a calzone, pita wrap, tortilla, gyros,burritos, pizza rolls, egg rolls, wrap sandwiches, sandwich rolls,wrapped fruit pie pastries, baked goods, rolled sandwiches, chickenpieces, and so forth.

While the invention has been particularly described with specificreference to particular process and product embodiments, it will beappreciated that various alterations, modifications and adaptations maybe based on the present disclosure, and are intended to be within thespirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the followingclaims.

1. A food container comprising: an enclosure defining a cavity capableof being occupied by at least one food item, wherein the enclosurecomprises: a first section having first walled portion defining a firstcavity region wherein the walled portion has a shape and size fittableinto a cylindrical beverage receptacle, and having a closed bottom endsufficient to retain a food item within the first section; a secondsection having a second walled portion defining a second cavity region,and an open top end defined by a free upper edge of the enclosurewherein the open top end is adapted for introducing a food item into theenclosure, and at least one peelable portion having a free endcoinciding with part of the upper edge wherein the peelable portion ismanually and selectively detachable from the enclosure effective toreveal more of the food item in the enclosure.
 2. The food container ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one peelable portion is defined by linesof weakness formed in paperboard used to form the enclosure.
 3. The foodcontainer of claim 1, wherein the at least one peelable portion has aprofile that is relatively widest near the opening and tapers or narrowsaway from the opening.
 4. The food container of claim 3, wherein the atleast one peelable portion has a profile selected from an invertedparabolic, inverted catenary or inverted triangular shape.
 5. The foodcontainer of claim 3, wherein the at least one peelable portioncomprises a pair of peelable portions provided at generally oppositelateral sides of the second section.
 6. The food container of claim 1,wherein the first section has a generally cylindrical shape or generallypolygonal shape.
 7. The food container of claim 2, wherein the lines ofweakness comprise a pair of lines of weakness extending generallyparallel to a longitudinal axis of the container and defining thepeelable portion therebetween.
 8. The food container of claim 2, whereinthe lines of weakness are selected from group consisting of score lines,perforated lines, punched lines, tearable strands, or any combinationthereof.
 9. The food container of claim 1, wherein the enclosure isadapted to be held in a generally upright position within the beveragereceptacle.
 10. A packaged food product comprising: (A) a food product;and (B) a food container comprising an enclosure defining a cavitycapable of being occupied by at least one food item, wherein theenclosure comprises: a first section having first walled portiondefining a first cavity region wherein the walled portion has a shapeand size fittable into a cylindrical beverage receptacle, and having aclosed bottom end sufficient to retain a food item within the firstsection; a second section having second walled portion defining a secondcavity region, and an open top end defined by a free upper edge of theenclosure wherein the open top end is adapted for introducing a fooditem into the enclosure, and at least one peelable portion having a freeend coinciding with part of the upper edge wherein the peelable portionis adapted to be manually and selectively detached from the enclosureeffective to reveal more of the food item in the enclosure.
 11. Thepackaged food product of claim 10, wherein the food item is selectedfrom the group consisting of burritos, pizza rolls, egg rolls, wrapsandwiches, sandwich rolls, wrapped fruit pie pastries, baked goods,rolled sandwiches, and chicken pieces.
 12. The packaged food product ofclaim 10, wherein the food item comprises a dough enrobed roll-upcontaining at least one filling, wherein the dough is selected from thegroup consisting of a pizza crust, pita, flat bread, and French bread,and the at least one filling is selected from the group consisting oftomato sauce, cheese, meat, vegetable, and any combination thereof. 13.The packaged food product of claim 10, wherein the at least one peelableportion id defined by lines of weakness formed in paperboard used toform the enclosure.
 14. The packaged food product of claim 10, whereinthe at least one peelable portion has a profile that is relativelywidest near the opening and tapers or narrows away from the opening. 15.The packaged food product of claim 14, wherein the enclosure comprises amicrowave susceptor material.
 16. The packaged food product of claim 14,wherein the peelable portion comprises a pair of peelable portionsprovided at generally opposite lateral sides of the second section. 17.The packaged food product of claim 10, wherein the food containerfurther comprises a sleeve attached circumferentially around an outersurface thereof.
 18. The packaged food product of claim 13, wherein thelines of weakness comprise a pair of lines of weakness extendinggenerally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the container and definingthe peelable portion therebetween.
 19. The packaged food product ofclaim 13, wherein the lines of weakness are selected from groupconsisting of score lines, perforated lines, tearable strands, or anycombination thereof.
 20. The packaged food product of claim 10, whereinthe enclosure is adapted to be held in a generally upright positionwithin the beverage receptacle.